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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. field — farmland
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pop — soda
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pop — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. field — for sport
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chest — a box
  13. roll — a cake
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — a subject
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pop — to visit
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com